UNICEF Silver for Milton Primary, Easter Ross ,Milton 2026

Key points

• Milton Primary School in Easter Ross has been awarded UNICEF UK’s Silver Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA).
• The accolade recognises significant progress in embedding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child across school life.
• The school is working towards achieving the prestigious Gold level in the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools programme.
• Pupils at Milton Primary have taken a leading role in promoting children’s rights, developing a pupil charter and class charters.
• Staff have integrated rights-based language and concepts into teaching, learning and school policies.
• The school community has focused on respect, inclusion, wellbeing and pupil voice as core values.
• UNICEF’s Silver award confirms that children’s rights are understood and actively used to improve relationships and behaviour.
• Parents and carers have been involved in learning about rights and supporting the school’s rights-based approach.
• The initiative aligns with wider Highland Council and Scottish Government priorities on children’s wellbeing and participation.
• The head teacher and staff have praised pupils for their commitment and leadership in rights-based activities.
• The school plans further work on global citizenship, anti-bullying and participation as it moves towards Gold.
• Local media coverage has highlighted Milton Primary as a positive example of a rural Highland school driving change through rights education.

Milton (Cambridge Tribune) April 02, 2026 – Milton Primary School in Easter Ross has secured the UNICEF UK Silver Rights Respecting School Award, marking a major milestone in its journey to place children’s rights at the heart of school life and setting its sights firmly on achieving Gold status next.

What is the UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award and what does Silver mean?

The UNICEF UK Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) is a whole‑school framework based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, designed to help schools embed children’s rights in ethos, curriculum, policies and relationships. Silver status indicates that a school has gone beyond initial awareness and has started to systematically integrate rights into daily practice. As outlined in the Ross-shire Journal report on Milton Primary’s achievement, the Silver level confirms that pupils and staff can talk confidently about rights, that rights language is visible in classrooms and corridors, and that decisions increasingly reflect the principles of dignity, respect and non-discrimination. While Bronze focuses on commitment and planning, Silver is awarded only when external assessors see consistent evidence that rights are understood and actively used to shape the school environment.

How did Milton Primary embed children’s rights across school life?

According to the coverage in the Ross-shire Journal, Milton Primary has spent recent years working with UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting Schools framework to weave rights into everything from classroom teaching to playground expectations. Staff have mapped aspects of the curriculum to relevant articles of the UN Convention, helping pupils connect topics like health, safety, education and play to specific rights. Displays around the building reference key articles, and children are encouraged to use rights language when discussing fairness, behaviour and relationships. The article notes that the school’s behaviour policy and anti‑bullying work have been reviewed through a rights lens, ensuring that responses to conflict prioritise respect, listening and restorative approaches. By doing this, Milton Primary has moved beyond one‑off projects to a more sustained culture change.

How are pupils at Milton Primary leading on rights?

Local reporting emphasises that pupils at Milton Primary have not been passive recipients of information but active leaders in the rights journey. As described by the Ross-shire Journal, children helped to create a whole‑school pupil charter, setting out the articles they felt mattered most in their context and the behaviours that would uphold those rights. Each class has worked on its own charter, negotiated and agreed between pupils and staff so that expectations feel shared rather than imposed. Pupil groups have taken on roles such as rights ambassadors or members of a pupil council, promoting awareness through assemblies, posters and peer‑to‑peer conversations. This active participation reflects the UNCRC article on the right to be heard, and it was a key factor in UNICEF assessors’ decision to grant Silver status.

What did school leaders say about the Silver award?

The Ross-shire Journal story notes that the head teacher at Milton Primary praised pupils and staff for their sustained commitment to rights-based work. As reported by the Ross-shire Journal, the head teacher described the UNICEF recognition as a “significant achievement for our school community”, highlighting that it reflects “the kindness, respect and responsibility our children show every day”. Staff were quoted as saying that a rights‑respecting approach has helped create a calmer, more inclusive atmosphere in which pupils feel safe to speak up and support each other. They stressed that the award is not an endpoint but a validation of the progress made so far as the school continues towards Gold. By foregrounding the voices of both staff and pupils, the coverage underscores the collaborative nature of the success.

How has the Rights Respecting approach affected relationships and behaviour?

In its account of Milton Primary’s success, the Ross-shire Journal points out that rights education has had a practical impact on relationships and behaviour. When pupils learn that every child has a right to be safe, to learn and to be listened to, they are more likely to recognise how their actions affect others. Staff at Milton Primary told the paper that they now frequently frame discussions about conflict or unkindness in terms of which rights have been affected and how they can be restored. This approach encourages empathy rather than blame. Children are supported to articulate their feelings, listen to others and find solutions that respect everyone involved. The Silver award indicates that UNICEF UK has seen consistent evidence of this rights‑based approach in classrooms, corridors and the playground.

How are parents and carers involved in Milton Primary’s rights work?

The reported coverage of Milton Primary’s award makes clear that parents and carers have been part of the journey. Information about the UN Convention and the Rights Respecting programme has been shared through newsletters, school events and meetings, helping families understand why rights language appears in homework, school displays and conversations at home.

As described in local reporting, families have been encouraged to reinforce key messages about respect, inclusion and listening at home, creating a shared understanding between school and community. This collaboration supports a more coherent experience for children, who see the same values modelled in multiple settings. UNICEF’s Silver award criteria note the importance of engaging the wider community, and Milton Primary’s efforts in this area contributed to its success.

How does this achievement fit into wider Highland and Scottish priorities?

Milton Primary’s Silver award does not sit in isolation; it aligns with broader policy directions in the Highlands and across Scotland. The Ross-shire Journal coverage places the school’s achievement in the context of Highland Council’s focus on wellbeing, inclusion and pupil voice. Rights Respecting work supports national priorities such as Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) and Curriculum for Excellence, both of which emphasise the importance of respect, participation and children’s views in education. By embedding the UN Convention in everyday practice, Milton Primary is contributing to Scotland’s wider efforts to make children’s rights more visible and actionable in public services. The school’s progress offers a concrete local example of these national aims being translated into lived experience for pupils.

What further work will Milton Primary undertake on the path to Gold?

Silver status recognises strong foundations, but Gold requires deeper, more embedded practice that is fully owned by the whole school community. According to the Ross-shire Journal’s report, Milton Primary plans to build on its current work by expanding its focus on global citizenship, sustainability and social justice – all linked to children’s rights. Pupils are expected to take an even more central role in decision‑making, including contributing to school improvement planning and policies that affect them. Staff will continue to develop their use of rights language across subjects and year groups, ensuring that new pupils and families quickly understand the school’s ethos. The school also intends to deepen its anti‑bullying work and peer‑support structures, using rights as a framework for tackling discrimination and promoting equality.

Why is Milton Primary’s UNICEF recognition significant for a rural community?

The Ross-shire Journal’s piece highlights that Milton Primary’s success carries particular weight as a small school in a rural Easter Ross community. Achieving a national UNICEF UK recognition demonstrates that size and location are no barrier to ambitious, values‑driven education. For families and community members, the award is a source of pride, signalling that their local primary is providing an environment in which children are respected, listened to and encouraged to develop as confident, caring citizens. The story also shows other rural schools that rights‑based work is both achievable and impactful, even with limited resources, when there is clear leadership, staff commitment and genuine pupil involvement. In this way, Milton Primary’s Silver award serves as both a celebration and an example for others across the Highlands and beyond.